E.M's 2 Year Check-Up & J.R Gets Chickenpox

Just out of the blue yesterday I received a phone call from one our local Health Visitors, to inform me that E.M was due for her 2 Year Check-Up - I see they still have a one month backlog then, since it is October now - so I made an appointment for today.

E.M is usually VERY shy and nervous when it comes to people she doesn't know, often clinging to me and 'crying', and this morning was no exception.

I have to admit that on our way to the appointment I was already wondering how much we'd get done, since the whole check-up generally takes about 30-40 mins, I was just waiting for the words: "How about we re-schedule?" As if re-schelduling the appointment would make E.M behave any better...

As expected, E.M was fine in the waiting room, it was when the HV's started talking to us that she got silly. She clung to me, refusing to look at them, she forced out those crocodile tears and she answered every question with a "Noo."

So the HV's decided that they would go through the question/answer parts of the check-up with me then and there, but leave the practical parts until next week when they would come to our house - in the hope that J.R (being the enthusiastic one of the two) would take part, encouraging her little sister to do the same...We'll see!

Meanwhile, J.R has at last caught Chickenpox.

It all started yesterday morning when she got up, I noticed she had a strange round cut on her bottom lip, and it wasn't scabbing over. So when we got to pre-school I asked the manager to take a look and just keep an eye on it for me during the course of the day.

She did, but in the end dismissed it as a cold sore saying they behaved in a similar way. But today it's really looking like a Pox.

It's opened up, started to yellow and scab over slightly, with the skin around it peeling. Plus J.R has another suspicious looking spot on her chin, which looks like it's gonna break through very soon...

Writing Practice

Every day I find a quiet moment to practice writing with J.R. I remember I was quite impressed when she came home from school one day and was actually able to read her own name.

Soon after, she started marking all her works of art with a "J". So I figured I would help her write her name...

And check these out. According to J.R it's a bunny rabbit (left) and a kangaroo (right). Can you see the differences? Haha brilliant!

Growing Fast

A quick update for you:

Miss J.R is 3 years and 5 months old. She's 94 cms tall, and right now weighs 2.5 stone.

(Means she's put on half a stone at last!) Absolutely adores watching children's dvds, since she loves to act them out. Currently going through the 'lazy talker' phase though.

Baby E.M is 23 months old, 80 cms tall and weighs 2 stone! Her favourite word right now is "pink" and she really loves asserting her independence.

Still prefers things clean and tidy and will quite happily take out a wet wipe and clean the table or straighten all the shoes out in the hall...

Raising Respectful Children

Children learn by example, put simply - they copy what they see.

For this reason the main role models in children's lives are usually their parents and guardians, so who better to learn from when it comes to good manners?

If you want to raise thankful kids you have to show that you yourself are thankful. Show and give appreciation but most importantly be consistent.

Children mimic what their parents say and do, so be sure to treat them, your partner, school staff, sales assistants...everyone with the same good manners that you would expect from your children. It may sound old-fashioned but I think you're never too young to start learning manners. It doesn't need to be complicated and up-tight, a child saying "Thank you" is always smiled upon.

Even when Baby E.M was very young and couldn't demonstrate manners verbally, I taught her to say "Please" and "Thank you" in baby signs. She was eager to learn, and though some days she got lazy, consistency was always the key.

Provide a training ground for your children to practice good manners.

At home make sure you're always polite when you ask your child to do something, remember to show appreciation and encourage the use of good manners between siblings.

I've been encouraging Baby E.M now that she can talk well, to ask her sister properly if she would like something from her. Promoting both good manners and the importance of sharing.

Every day i'm seeing improvement in the girls' manners, not just towards me but also towards eachother.

There are times when they think i'm not around, and Baby E.M will ask her sister for something using "Please" on the end of the sentence.

J.R will respond politely also, usually something along the lines of "There you go sweetheart" and always replies to a Thank You with "You're welcome".

It really is rewarding to see such good interaction between the girls. Having good manners will boost their confidence both now and in the future.

Is There A Dentist In The House?

This morning I was brushing my teeth, as you do, when I got the worst pain in one of my teeth. The third molar, or "one of those big chunky ones at the back" as we normal people call them. And it hurts, badly. As if i'd brushed away all the crud that was holding it together - nice thought eh?

Although it may not be that far from the truth, i'm taking painkillers regularly throughout the day for it cos it is so painful, but only on one side. The other side of that same tooth is perfectly fine. A second opinion - my Dad's - is that i've cracked it in two. Nice.

But that would explain a few things, like why it only hurts on one side and why it appears to have 'sunk' lower than the rest of my teeth and I keep chewing on it when I talk (which yes, hurts like hell)... Anyhoo.

That brings me onto my next subject:

When's the right time to bring your child for their first ever dental check up?

All you need to register your child with a dentist is their NHS number. It can usually be found in the details on the front page of their Red Book.

I've decided that now is the time for my J.R to go to the dentist. It is, after all inevitable plus she is 3yo and has all of her primary nashers. I have to admit I am a lil bit anxious that it might take both me and Daddy to keep her in that chair, just so the dentist can see into her mouth - let alone poke her teeth with some strange metal stick with a mirror on the end...

But hey, guess i'll worry about that when we get there.

Miss Independent

Now that Baby E.M isn't really a baby anymore but actually a toddler, she's beginning to show a lot more independence. Even if she can't work something out, or lacks the skill to perform a task she'll still try.

And generally she doesn't give up.

That is, of course unless she knows how to ask me for help!

She has baby signs for Open, More, Drink, Food, Down and Finished.

For example, when she wants something opened, whether it's a door or a toy, she'll say "Mummy, dat dat!" (knocking motion with both hands).

And that's how we communicate now.

I began to teach her baby signs since I sometimes find it hard to understand her myself, and we have to go through a whole process of elimination to find out "What baby wants?"

Suppressed Anger And The "Terrible Two's" Kicks In.

J.R has been acting quite out of character today, but only since she got in from school.

At first I thought it was just me, she's been shouting and ranting constantly and being very rude to me. At first I thought it was just me, until I came downstairs to find her casually tearing her school book apart page by page. Hmm...

I'll ask the school tomorrow if anything went on today, 'cos it's almost as if she's angry about something. God knows what.

Also...Following the dreaded 3 year check on the 30th April - which I never got to post - i've been informed that Baby E.M is in her terrible two's (having sat and moaned at two H.V's for a good 10 minutes relaying all her recent bad behaviour and general dislike for the rules).

Great. That's just what I need.

Getting Clued Up: Baby Teeth

Baby E.M at 19 months old has 11 teeth. These seemed to come through quite quickly but then (for a long time) there was nothing. Then in the last week I noticed she's been showing the usual signs of teething again, red cheeks, dribbling, chewing her fingers... so I had a check and voila! She's very slowly cutting the lower lateral incisor on the right.

Thinking i'd do a bit of homework on the subject, I found this online. The "Eruption Sequence" of Baby Teeth:

Right now Baby E.M has 4/4 upper and lower central incisors, 4/4 upper and lower first molars and 3/4 lateral incisors.

So as you can see, she's developing pretty much on time! Bearing in mind the table states average times, in reality it can vary 6 months either way, but it's good to know everything's in order so far :)

So today my J.R has drawn the characters from Mulan.

She loves that Disney film - and often plays the leading role!

Here's her artwork in her own words:

They grow up so fast! *sniff*

The 3 Year Old Artist

It started off as a bit of fun, just scribbling like crazy on the blackboard.

Then Miss J.R realised... Hey, I can draw circles. And different sorts of lines. Then, using the tips Daddy gave her on how to draw faces, she drew herself.

Now, she draws everything she sees.

They say drawing and being creative is important for very young children, it helps them to express themselves. And it's something they can be completely in-control of.

The sky's the limit!

Little Miss J.R: 37 Months

If I had to describe her in three words?

Lively, Determined, Exhausting.

As soon as she enters a room she must be the centre of attention.

If that's not possible (e.g there are guests over) she will protest everything until she's sitting on my lap with everyone staring at her, as she throws dirty looks across the room at my guests.

She will only wear skirts or dresses. I have to come up with a pretty good reason to get her to wear her pyjama bottoms!

Before she knew the word for skirt, she used to call it "dancing".

She loves to dance and act out her favourite films.

She is determined. If she's told she can't have something, she will work on getting it. Even if that means climbing up to reach it when you leave the room!

She is completely exhausting 90% of the time.

She wears out my energy and my patience.

She has the ability to make me laugh, scream and cry all in the same day.

And I love her with all my heart.